OT: Help for MIL - advice please??

I haven't worked in the employee benefit field for 16 years, so my info is a bit out of date, but back then employees could and did cut retiree health insurance benefits on a whim. It's not guaranteed like pensions.

I doubt that Sprint cut just her -- they probably cut benefits to a large group of retirees. Health costs are rising much faster than inflation, and retirees are the most expensive group to insure. And your retired workers can't quit or go on strike, so it's easiest to cut their benefits. :)

Have you contacted the AARP? They probably hear about this kind of thing every day and may have some good suggestions.

Thank you, Kathy!!!

We were really worried that they cut her due to her MANY visits ... she continually switches doctors (because they tell her she's fine and that most of the ailments she complains about she can't possibly have) and uses her benefits on a weekly basis. But that's a result of her illness, of course. :(

But I would have thought that giving benefits like that as part of a retirement package would mean that they would continue to offer them ... isn't that what the "package" is all about??? Oh well ... what makes it hardest is that she refuses to let us cover it. Also, to be honest, we'd have no idea on how to claim her as a dependent as she doesn't live with us and she doesn't allow us to help her financially (aside from groceries every once in a while).

It's a sad day when we leave an entire spectrum of society to fend for itself ... I know that it's been that way for a LONG time, but still ... I just have no idea how people are supposed to find their way in situations like this - especially if they don't have relatives that can or will help. :(

I really appreciate your advice ... we'll talk to AARP as soon as possible!! Her coverage ends in '08 so we don't have much time left!! She's bringing the papers with her on Thanksgiving, so we'll see what her options are exactly.

Thank you!!!!! :)

Hugs!! Connie :)

Hey Connie:

If by "Fed" you mean your husband works for the Feb govt, then she can not be covered under any health insurance with the Feds. I ran into the same problem when my Mama lived with me. If you look at your policies or you husband contacts the personnel office they will tell him. According to their policies for a person to be covered by his health insurance within their system you have to be immediate family. By that it means you, your children under 18. That's it. Have you thought about getting her on Medicare or if her pension is low enough, Medicaid, administered by the State. When switching health insurance companies there is a little thing called "pre-existing conditions".

Medicare and Medicaid just might be her best option.

Kate T.

DH retired after Sept 11 when his company offered a great retirement package including free insurance. Since then, they have upped the co-payment for doctors and prescriptions to more than twice what it originally was, and they pay less for hospital. We used to get low cost prescriptions from the company pharmacy, but now we are looking around to try to find lower cost medicine. Barbara in FL

I can see how they do that ... but I can't see HOW they can do that. It seems to me that if they *promise* a benefit, they need to keep that promise. I figure the money that they pay you for retirement is another promise - and they certainly have to keep THAT promise, so why not the promise of benefits????

The people that work there now (both in your case and in Sprint's case ... heck, everyone's case) should get furious. I mean, the workers of today are the retirees of tomorrow, right? So why in the world should today's workers have ANY confidence that the company's promises TODAY will be kept TOMORROW??

Or am I just THAT naive???

Anyway, Barbara ... I really hope that you're able to find a better solution than my MIL more than likely faces (Medicare). I know my MIL will balk at that (and probably put herself in the "poor house" because of it) since I've never heard of Medicare being that great shakes. :(

Hugs!! Connie

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I can't remember what addy I'm using for ngs ... can you try snipped-for-privacy@sewverycreative.com?

That one should work ... if not, how about sewcreativeATknologyDOTnet?

Hugs!! Connie

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...

Welcome to the strange new world of American Health Care. I got on Medicare last year and have been more than satisfied. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to figure out what plan is best in your own circumstance, but once you are up and running it is free of any hassle that I used to get into with the HMO that I was covered by before I became a geezer. If you just take the time to figure out how the plan you choose will be the best for you as to coverage, price, and whatever, you should be fine. I chose one that allows me to see any doctor, travel to any place within the usa, have additional coverage for the part that is not covered by medicare and prescription drug coverage for a total cost of less than half of what I was paying for Kaiser HMO. I don't have to fill out any paperwork and all the bills are paid. I do have a co-pay for some prescriptions but if you are willing to take generic substitutes at Walmart, then it is 4-5 dollars per prescription. I have heard horror stories about people who had trouble, but I think it was when they were setting up the Drug Plan and there were start up hiccups. It isn't perfect, but it is better that I had before and I pay a lot less. You might check with AARP to get an idea as to the options that are available, and they have people who can walk you through the choices. They will recommend their own favorite providers, but you don't have to take them if they don't seem to work for you. Medicare, itself, has a pretty extensive bit of literature on the subject that they will send you to get started. One of the good things, is that they have to take you when you sign up. No preexisting conditions can be disqualified. This is not the case with private insurers. Good Luck and Maybe if enough people bitch to the government about what is going on in this system, there will be universal paid health care for every citizen. Like every other civilized country that isn't third world.

John

They don't. The workers see that the likelihood of a company keeping its promises is dim. This, and the once standard pension going the way of the dinosaurs, has led to lack of employee loyalty and the resultant turnover rate has led to the need for constant training of new employees.

Louise in WA

I don't know how old she is, or if she is considered low income...you could check with her local Seniors and People w/disablities. Sometimes the state has programs for insurance, depending on the circumstances. I have a few retired friends and they are always talking about the company cutting their insurance, whether it be fewer benefits or higher premiums. It sucks, but there's not a whole lot a person can do! Launie, in Oregon

Not everywhere has a paid healthcare system, Korea (where we lived briefly) is fairly similar to the US. A friend who spent many years in Japan tells me that it's an insurance based system, but after a certain length of time you have to use state insurance and there are problems with that. I get mixed up with Aus and NZ, but I don't think things are entirely straight forward there either. I'm from the UK and there are many problems in that system too, I just had surgery in the US, fully covered by insurance, I review the literature on the effectiveness and risks of the surgery and discovered that though it's not got the greatest success rates and a moderately high risk of complications, that compared to the alternatives of do nothing or replace the hip of someone in their 20s, it's a reasonable option, but I also found national guidance for the UK saying the surgery shouldn't be done! My understanding is that most of Western Europe has fairly successful systems, but then two recent experiences of friends going through childbirth suggested things were not as rosy as they might seem, both had good outcomes, but it was stressful getting there as they had no right to the kind of care they wanted, they'd have had similar struggles in the US, but at least a reasonable chance of finding out early in pregnancy rather than having stresses up to the day of the birth. It seems like whatever system you are in, the haves are always going to do better than the havenots.

Cheers Anne

I suggest Medicare, if she is eligible. Check into a Medicare Advantage plan if one is available in your area. I'm sure your MIL is not the only one being eliminated from the company insurance; I don't think they could do that.

I retired from a large computer company in 2001. The amount I pay for health coverage through the company goes up every year, though still much less than I'd pay for other insurance. I was told that retiree health benefits are not necessarily guaranteed. The company offers several plans with varying levels of coverage and at various costs, and the plans offered vary somewhat from year to year. I'm not 65 yet, but when I turn 65, I will be required to go on Medicare and the company coverage is secondary to Medicare. My husband has been on Medicare for several years; we kept him on the company insurance for the supplement and for prescription drugs. I looked over the insurance statements recently and they paid nothing for doctor bills for him; Medicare had covered everything to the same extent that the insurance would, except for the prescription drugs. We just signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan through another company. With that plan, the insurance company gets paid by the government to do all the coverage Medicare would otherwise do. The company we are with includes prescription drug coverage, and there is no charge over and above the Medicare premiums to get complete coverage equivalent to Medicare. For $20 a month we are getting a bit more comprehensive coverage for a few things. The insurance company will also pay for his Y membership; obviously they know that people who exercise regularly have lower medical costs.

Julia in MN

SewVeryCreative wrote:

The few times I have gone to the cardiologist with dh I was pretty ticked off. I am about the right weight for my height (not remotely skinny) but I felt like I had just come out of a concentration camp compared to the rest of the folks in the waiting room. How can people with such a life threatening illness take such poor care of themselves? It is pretty frustrating to see. There has to be some sort of incentive for folks to start caring about their own health. There is so much we have little control over we need to work with what we can. Good for you dh's insurance co. Julia. I hope he takes advantage of it.

I have to go to a funeral tomorrow for an uncle that was 72 years old. He has been sick for over 12 years and done almost everything he could to kill himself with lifestyles choices. I don't know how he lasted so long. I am a tad irritated watching the pain he has caused my cousins. Their mom died of lung cancer at 61. Bad choices make for a lot of sadness for family members sometimes. Sorry to get on my soap box. Taria

Julia in MN wrote: The insurance company will

I don't think it has anything to do with her health. A lot of companies are cutting back on or eliminatng pension related health plans. The costs have gone up so they just can't afford it anymore. As an example the local city here started including health insurance in their retirement package back in the 80's. Now it is at a point where two thirds of their health coverage costs are for retirees. They can't afford it and are trying to figure out what to do about that. Sounds like Sprint took the most obvious solution.

If she gets $1000 a month on pension that is probably to much income to get medicaid. Look into medicare.

NightMist

The text of the letter sent to Sprint (Embarq) employees is online. This is what it reads:

To all employees: Today we are announcing changes to our retiree benefits program designed to better balance the needs of Embarq retirees, employees, shareholders, customers and other stakeholders. Maintaining our strength in a fiercely competitive, perpetually changing industry such as ours never has been tougher than it is today. Outside competition, outdated regulatory policies, and out of control health care costs force us to challenge the status quo. Staying competitive sometimes requires that we make important choices. The changes being implemented will affect our retirees in three areas: Medical benefits for Medicare-eligible individuals and Medicare-eligible dependents, company-provided life insurance, and the Embarq matching gift program [which matches Embarq employees donations to nonprofits and alma maters].

Medical benefits changes for Medicare-eligible individuals as of January 1, 2008: Embarq will no longer offer medical coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees and Medicare-eligible dependents or provide a monthly subsidy for medicare premiums.

According to the 2006 National Survey of Employee-Sponsored Health Plans by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, only 19% of large US employers offer any form of medical coverage to Medicare-eligible retirees. Due to recent changes in the Medicare marketplace, it is more practical and efficient for Medicare coverage to be provided to Medicare-eligible individuals by a health care benefits company that specializes in this type of coverage.

This approach gives retirees greater flexibility in choosing the best coverage for their family situations. Adjusting to this change may be difficult for some, so Embarq is committed to making the transition as smooth as possible for retirees and their families. A national carrier identified by Embarq will contact all medicare eligible individuals and offer to help them understand their alternatives for medicare coverage. This company will provide convenient, user friendly support, and conduct informational meetings. Other carriers likely will offer coverage options to medicare eligible individuals as well, and retirees will be free to choose their own carriers. Embarq is not endorsing any carrier or coverage option and encourages retirees to evaluate all coverage options.

Life insurance: The company-provided life insurance benefit extended to eligible retirees will be capped at $10,000. Optional life insurance purchased by retirees in the past can continue under the terms of those plans. This change will be effective on Jan 1, 2008. Also, the company provided life insurance benefit will no longer be provided for retirees participating in the Carolina telephone and telegraph company voluntary employees beneficiary association. Effective sept 1 2007. Any existing optional life insurance policy can be continued?.

Matching gifts program: The Embarq matching gifts grant no longer will be aviailable to retirees for gifts made after September 1, 2007. Retirees will receive communications including a detailed brochure to explain all these changes. In addition they will be able to view this information onlin on the Embarq retiree website...

Sincerely, Ned Holland Senior Vice President of Human Resources

Linda PATCHogue, NY

My Wings are on their way. I just lost a second aunt in as many months. Went to the first funeral nearby and not the second. MI is just too far for me to travel. Both were heavy smokers.

Butterfly

The state of Nevada is doing a similar thing to its teachers. It's in the court system now. (So how quickly can I move back East?)

I think this is such a hard topic, if you've never been overweight and you've never smoked I don't think we can really know what it is like to be in either of those places. Same as if someone has an eating disorder, I've touched the fringes of that and ran the other way, and even I really have no clue how it gets that way. I gave myself a scare a couple of years ago when I suddenly found my weight hovering above the BMI of

25 threshold and I realised how easy it had been to get there and how difficult it was to get away from that point, I didn't have the option of exercise and I've heard so many people say "how difficult is swimming", but I could see there and then how you end up with a BMI of 35 and needing a knee replacement that has a moderate chance of failing because of your weight. When your living in pain and even getting to the bathroom is tricky, it's so easy for food to become a comfort, yet your food needs drop and your appetite doesn't. I managed to stabilise at just a tad above ok weight, but couldn't reduce it, moving to the US was the trick for me, the food is quite different and the chocolate is not nice on my palate - suddenly over 3 months I was the opposite end of the healthy range, which was luck not judgement. The whole experience gave me a lot more sympathy - whatever weight you are, it's hard graft to lose it, if you're stable weight and fat, you could be eating less than me, but it not be enough less than your needs for the weight to come off.

For a while I was on a committee that was trying to wisely use government money for programs that actually helped deprived families (mostly via the women) break though these kind of things. Smoking was probably the biggest thing we had to tackle, and the results were depressing. A lot did want to give up if they were pregnant, but most only managed to cut down, not quit and when they weren't pregnant a lot didn't and I'd hear phrases such as "I'm supposed to be giving up smoking" and even among groups who really were committed to giving up, the success rate was low. Across everyone, even if they weren't entirely clear on the risks of smoking, not being aware what a problem it was not what was holding them back. Yet when it came to trying to figure out new ideas, it was clear none of us had a clue, few is any of us had ever even had a cigarette, so often it's the people that don't have the problem trying to figure out how to help those that do, but I don't think you get much better results when you get "user" involvement and sometimes there is significant disapproval amongst those that have never had the problem of some of the methods that do work rather than being able to take a clear look at the numbers and realise the approved method isn't working and the unapproved one is.

Definitely a complex problem and a mystery!

Anne